1
as in fragile
easily broken
a frail eggshell
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sensitive
easily injured without careful handling
be careful with your grandmother, as she's very frail and a fall would be disastrous
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
he was frail after a long battle with bronchitis
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4
as in weakened
lacking strength of will or character
a frail person, easily swayed by others
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5
as in small
small in degree
a frail hope of success
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frail
The culminating episode, as the mob smashes and ransacks a hospital and terrorizes its patients, ultimately reveals a frail elderly man, standing naked and alone in an empty bathtub as the assailants approach.
—
John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
With elderly patients, particularly those who are cognitively impaired and frail, that can be challenging.
—Neil Gaffin, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
However, the bacteria can cause serious, potentially fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 23 Dec. 2025
During his five years in custody, much of it in solitary confinement, Lai has been convicted of several lesser offenses and appears to have grown more frail and thinner.
—CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frail
John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
With elderly patients, particularly those who are cognitively impaired and frail, that can be challenging.
—Neil Gaffin, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
However, the bacteria can cause serious, potentially fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 23 Dec. 2025
During his five years in custody, much of it in solitary confinement, Lai has been convicted of several lesser offenses and appears to have grown more frail and thinner.
—CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frail
Adjective
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Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Biocomputing remains highly experimental, fragile, and difficult to scale.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The new revelations include documents suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein after the 2008 global financial crisis.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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The new revelations include documents suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein after the 2008 global financial crisis.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Bangladesh’s woes have not improved much since Hasina’s ouster, with high inflation and a weak taka currency combining to erode real incomes for ordinary households.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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Pinterest posted disappointing fourth-quarter results and gave weak guidance for first-quarter sales.—
Liz Napolitano,Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Infants and children under the age of 5, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk for complications from measles exposure.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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The consumption of raw milk and other unpasteurized dairy products can cause serious health risks and be especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, according to the Food and Drug Administration.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Caudle told The Associated Press in a recent interview that his vision is to deploy smaller, newer ships when possible instead of consistently turning to huge aircraft carriers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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The small edit stood out for its playful party spirit and the brand was instantly associated to a sense of fun and maximalism unusual in the Scandinavian fashion scene.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Bring in Other Scents Scent can be introduced in a variety of ways, from candles and diffusers to delicate room sprays.—
Kate Donovan,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
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Young boys cleaned test tubes, brawny machinists built gauges and mills, and scales delicate enough to weigh an inch of a spider's web.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.—
Claudia Boyd-Barrett,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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That said, international filmmaking is in feeble shape, partly because of the jambalaya of international co-productions, partly because of the inroads of television aesthetics, and partly because of the cloistered aestheticism of self-conscious art-house cinema.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Designers are now layering materials — combining sections of horizontal cedar fencing with tall, dense plantings like arborvitae or ornamental grasses—to create softer, more organic privacy screens.—
Rosehill Gardens,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
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Gap CashSoft Oversized Chunky Cardigan My daughters also loved this soft, chunky cardigan from Gap, available in multiple colors.—
Chaunie Brusie,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frail. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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